Sule! ‘hikeiy1Be will lake: ean thi sale pexi We dne okay wae rs_ a “es vn each! 0 hoo me s r aua Ne on ace hie. Shriners HelpTe Teen Athlete Win A Medal (NAPSA)—Tperformance of a young athlete is lping to rede- fine t concept of fitness. Tatyana McFadden, 15, of Clarksville, Md., was t youngest member of America’s Paralympic track and field team this year. S was also t youngest to win a silver medal in t 100-meter race. T teen also captured bronze in t 200meter event. T focus of t Paralympics, like many otr sports opportunities for people with disabilities, is on t athlete and t person, ratr than t disability. This philosophy is similar to that of Shriners Hospitals for Children, which emphasizes lping patients become as able and capable as possible. Tatyana has been a patient at t Philadelphia Shriners Hospi- tal for nine years. Her adoptive motr, Debbie McFadden, credits Shriners Hospitals with lping Tatyana discoverrpotential. “Shriners lped r be t best s can be. Everyone tre assumes that each patient is going on to great things,” said Debbie. “Tir attention to individual needs has lped r be able to become an elite athlete.” Tatyana echoes that thought. “Shriners lped me do what I want to do,” said t teen. Debbie, founder and president of International Children’s Alliance, an international adoption agency in Silver Spring, Md., found Tatyana in an orphanage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Six years old at t time, and diagnosed with spina bifida, a birth defect Tatyana McFadden, t youngest American on t U.S. Paralympic track and field team, recently won t silver in t 100-meter race. hospital gave Tatyana wasa better quality of life, and an ability to be more independent, said r motr. Tatyana also competes in basketball, swimming, table tennis and ice hockey, and has also won national junior titles in many of tse sports. For more information on Shriners’ network of 22 hospitals that provide medical care and services totally free of charge to children with orthopaedic problems, burns and spinal cord injuries, write to Shriners International Headquarters, Public Relations Dept., 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607 or visit t Web that results in damage to t site at www.shrinershq.org. Treatment is provided to children phia hospital, Tatyana wasable to stand, and walked for six months. race, religion or relationship to a Shriner. If you know a child that Shriners can lp, call 1-800-237- spinal cord and surroundingarea, Tatyana used r handsto walk. After surgery at t PhiladelToday s uses a welchair. What t treatment at t Philadelphia under age 18 without regard to 5055 in t United States or 1-800-361-7256 in Canada.
